Water-gage for steam-boilers



UNITED STATES PATENT orriou.

ROBERT S. HARRIS, OF GALENA, ILLINOIS.

WATER-GAGE FOR STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,012, dated August 9', 1859.

To aZZ whom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. HARRIS, of Galena, in the county of Daviess and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tater-Gages for Steam- Boilers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section of my improvement in water gages applied to a steam boiler. Fig. 2, is somewhat of a modification of my invention.

Similar letters of reference, in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing the float stem and attaching it to the boiler in such a manner that it answers for carrying the float and for indieating the height of the water in the boiler and if desirable as a trip for opening a valve of the alarm whistle, all in the manner hereinafter described.

To enable others, skilled in the art, to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

My float stem may consist of a straight rod A, as shown in Fig. l, or it may have one of its ends o, run at right angles to its axis, and its other end run perpendicularly to its axis, as shown in Fig. 2. This latter arrangement is not desirable when a whistle is to be operated, and therefore it is not considered as useful as the straight stem and is only referred to here in order to prevent others claiming it hereafter. In either construction, the float B, is attached to the end which enters the boiler and at the point of attachment of the stem to the head of the boiler, a bali or semi-circular bearing or axis C, is to be provided. This ball fits into a spherical socket D, which is formed in a screw plug E, as shown; said screw plug being iitted by male and female threads 0, (Z, in the head of the boiler so as to be readily 'removed or applied. Thisl plug, shown 1n Fig. 1, when the straight rod is employed, has a flaring passage e, cut through it so as to allow freedom of motion up and down to said rod. This passage may be straight when the bent rod or stem shown in Fig. 2, is employed. From the ball bearing or axis, the stem extends through the plug some distance beyond the head of the boiler and passes by or through a slot of an 'arc index plate F, which has figures on each of its sides. At and on the termination of the rod, a bevel shaped knob f, is formed as represented in Fig. 1. The apparatus thus far described answers for indicating the height or fall of the water in the boiler and thus gives the engineer warning before an explosion occurs.

The operat-ion is very simple; as the water falls, the float descends in the boiler and the outer end of the stem rises opposite the figures of the dial plate and indicates the extent of the fall, or dangerous level.

As I contemplate using a steam alarm whistle in connection with the foregoing arrangement, I will describe one plan which I think will work well.

At the top of the boiler, I arrange a steam whistle G, this whistle communicates with the interior of the boiler by means of a puppet valve g, which is suspended on a spring strip It. To the end of the spring strip a cord 2', is attached, said cord passing over pulleys y', Z6, and having a stop Z, suspended to its lower end. On the pulley 7c, a rod m, is hung eccentrically, and this rod, when the puppet valve is* closed rests against the stop Z, and prevents the spring from opening the valve, as will be evident from the black lines in Fig. 1. Now with this arrangement, when the float falls the index will rise and force the stop Z, out of contact with the rod m, and thus allow the spring a chance to open the valve so as to permit the steam to escape through the same and sound the whistle, as illustrated in red lines in Fig. 1. By thus combining the whistle with the gage, double security against explosion is provided for if the engineer fails to notice the position of the index when the water falls to a dangerous level, the whistle will sound the alarm before an explosion shall take place.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The within specified manner of constructing and attaching the float stem to the boiler, whereby it is made to answer for carrying the float, and as an index indicating the height of the water in the boiler and if desirable as a trip for opening a valve of an alarm whistle, all in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

ROBERT SCRIBE HARRIS.

Witnesses DANIEL WANN, BENJ. OooMBE. 

